Key-holding attachment for locks.



No. 818,199. PATENTED APR. 1'7, 1906.

H. A. SBAGER.

KEY HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR LOCKS. APPLICATION FILED JUNB51905v W/T/VESSES:

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT A. SEAGER, OF MONROE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO JOHN E. DOLLOFF, OF MONROE, WASHINGTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 17, 1906.

Application filed June 5, 1905. Serial No. 263,742.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT A. SEAGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Monroe, in the county of Snohomish and State of Washington, have invented a new and Improved Key-Holding Attachment for Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object to provide a novel attachment for door-locks which is extremely simple, neat in appearance, is mainly concealed from view, is a fixture on the lock, is inexpensive, and very convenient in use, affording means for holding the key of the look from turning in either direction when the lock is in locked or unlocked ad'- justment, thus preventing the door-lock from being unlocked on the outside of the door and also preventing the accidental displacement and loss of the key when the lockbolt is released from the door-casement.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the subjoined claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side view of a door in part, a lock thereon, an escutcheon-plate guarding the keyhole in the lock and shown broken away around the keyhole, and the improvement indicated as mounted upon the escutcheon-plate and having locking engagement with a key in the'lock. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the escutcheonplate, an edge view of the door in part, an end view of the lock embedded in the door, and a vertical transverse sectional view of the improved key-holder, the plane of section being indicated substantially by the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detached side view of the improved key-holder, and Fig. 4 is an edge view of the same seen in the direction of the arrow as in Fig. 3.

In the drawings, A represents a door, and 5 a door-lock. The lock may be of any preferred construction, having a latch-bolt 5 and a locking-bolt 5.. A key 6 employed should for the effective operation of the improvement be provided with a shank 6, that is flattened on opposite sides. An escutcheonplate 7 is employed, in which is a keyhole b for the free passage of the key-bit therethrough and into the look, as indicated in Fig. 2.

The improved key -holder, as is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, consists of a dog 8, preferably having the contour shown and a thin flat body, there being a transverse slot 0 formed in one side edge that is of a width which will loosely receive the body of the key-shank 6 the outer corners of the defining edges of the slot 0 being rounded to facilitate the introduction of the key-shank thereinto. To enable the formation of the slot 0, the end portion of the dog-body is widened somewhat and shaped edgewise, so as to furnish two jaw members 0. Near the opposite end of the dog 8 a perforation (l is formed for the reception of a pivot bolt or screw 0, which is preferably furnished with a head. on one end and a nut e on the other end which is threaded for an engagement of the nut therewith. i

In the escutcheon-plate 7 at a suitable point above the keyhole b a perforation is formed to receive the screw-threaded pivotbolt 6, and after the bolt *has been inserted through the escutcheon-plate from the outer side the dog 8 is mounted thereon and loosely secured by screwing the nut e on said pivotbolt, thereby holding the dog free to rock on the bolt from its upper end and upon the. side of the escutcheon-plate that is nearest to the side of the lock-case when the device is in position for use. Upon the lower portion and normally outer side of the dog 8 a knob-handle g is mounted, the body of the bolt carrying a washer g or an integral equivalent enlargement on the knob-handle.

In the escutcheon-plate 7 at one side of the keyhole b an arcuate slot h is formed that is concentric with the pivot-bolt 6 when the arts are assembled, and, as indicated, the body of the handle g is loosely passed through the slot h from the outer side of the escutcheon-plate before it is secured upon the dog 8, the washer g overlapping the edges of the slot on said outer side of the plate. The curvature of the slot h and its relative position adapt the manipulation of the knob-handle g leftward to rock the dog upward and away from the keyhole b.

It will be seen that if the key-bit 6 is introduced through the keyhole b and thence into the lock for actuation of the lockingbolt 5 when the key is turned so as to throw the bolt the fiat sides of the shank 6 will be disposed nearly horizontal and permit the dog 8 to hook upon the flat body of said shank, the latter passing loosely into the slot 0, and obviously the weight of the dog facilitates such an engagement of the dog and shank. The dog 8 when engaged with the key-shank, as described, will hold the key from being turned in either direction, It will also be seen that the hook can be made to engage the shank of the key after the key has been turned to withdraw the bolt to prevent the key from accidentally falling out. It will also be seen that if the door-lock is unlocked with the key, which will give the key-shank 6 a half-revolution, the dog 8 will by its weight drop into an engagement with the shank of the key and hold it.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination with an escutcheon having a keyhole therein and a curved slot at one side of the keyhole, of a dog formed of a thin flat body having in one side edge a transverse slot for receiving the flattened keyshank, the walls of the slot being parallel and having their outer defining edges rounded,

I the dog being pivoted to the inner face of the escutcheon above the keyhole and provided below its slot with a knob-handle projecting out through the curved slot of the escutcheon, said handle being provided with an enlargement spaced from its inner end a distance a little greater than the thickness of the es cutcheon.

2. The combination with an escutcheon having a keyhole and a curved slot at one side of the keyhole, of a dog formed of a fiat body having a slot in one side ed e for receiving a flattened key-shank, the wa ls of the slot being parallel, the dog being pivoted to the inner face of the escutcheon above the keyhole and provided below itsslot with a handle projecting out through. the slot of the escutcheon.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT A. SEAGER.

Witnesses:

JAs. FARMER, J. E DOLLOFF. 

